Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
President Bush to Attend Whirlwind Series of Summits; Interview With Senator Joseph Lieberman; Options on Syria
Aired February 18, 2005 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: One after the other, mosques in Baghdad hit by insurgents. A deadly wave of attacks today.
Difficult decisions to be made about Syria and its influence in Lebanon. Is the U.S. already drawing up its military options?
And love at first site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, who couldn't -- who couldn't be in love with this kid?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Army captain who went to Iraq and met a boy who would change his life.
Plus, the need for speed. NASCAR getting cranked up again and racing into brand new territory on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. 9:00 here in New York City.
The other big story this hour that we'll look at in a moment here, President Bush nominating John Negroponte to be the first director of national intelligence. Did he get the right person for this rather enormous job, and will Americans ultimately be any safer? A member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Joe Lieberman, my guest in a moment to talk about that.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're going to talk about a man who, along with his wife, went in for botox treatments. What they got, though, was a straight botulism toxin.
It's an extremely deadly substance said to be 10,000 times as strong as botox. As you can imagine, they've had an incredibly long road to recovery now. We'll talk with them about what happened and what they're doing now.
HEMMER: All right. Back to Jack now.
Good morning. JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. They're billed as the "Borgata Babes," and they are marketed as the sexiest cocktail waitresses in Atlantic City. Now the casino that employees them says, if you gain 7 percent or more of your body weight, we will fire you because your job is to maintain that sexy image that we're trying to promote. Should employers be able to fire employees because of weight gain?
AM@CNN.com is the e-mail address. And we're going to look at that burned out car again just because I didn't get to see it last time.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
HEMMER: First, the headlines. Here is Heidi Collins with us again.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you once again, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning, Baghdad under tight security after a series of attacks left at least 18 people dead. These pictures now showing the aftermath of the first explosion that took place near a Shiite mosque. U.S. military officials say it was the work of suicide bombers.
There was also a second suspected suicide bombing. And a third attack taking place in northwestern Baghdad. Mortar rounds were fired there. And these pictures just into CNN from the scene there. The violence comes during a major Shiite holy period.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will continue nuclear cooperation with Iran. President Putin making the announcement just three hours ago following a meeting with Iran's security chief in Moscow. Putin says he is certain Iran is not trying to develop nuclear weapons and is planning a visit to Iran to speak with officials in person.
A woman accusing entertainer Bill Cosby of fondling her may press ahead with a civil case. That's according to her attorney.
Cosby will not face criminal charges over the claims after Philadelphia prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence to base any charge against him. Cosby has maintained his innocence. His lawyer says Cosby's looking forward to moving on with his life.
A hockey brawl resulting in more legal action. Former Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore has filed a lawsuit against ex Canucks player Todd Bertuzzi. The action stems from an attack during a game last season.
The fight left Moore with a broken neck and other injuries. Now he's suing for conspiracy, assault and negligence. No word yet on how much Moore is asking. Bertuzzi has already pleaded guilty to criminal assault and was suspended indefinitely from the NHL.
More bad news for the NHL.
HEMMER: That sport has had a lifetime of bad headlines, hasn't it, in one week alone?
COLLINS: It has. That's right.
HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: President Bush is getting ready now for a whirlwind series of summits next week with virtually every political player in Europe. CNN's Elaine Quijano is live at the White House with more on the president's itinerary.
Hey, Elaine. Good morning.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
President Bush is getting ready to head to Europe to meet with allies there to try to begin a new chapter in relations. Now, he leaves very mindful that there are still lingering sore feelings over the U.S.' decision to invade Iraq. Also concerns over the faulty intelligence that said that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Well, now President Bush will be able to tell European leaders that he's making changes to the U.S. intelligence community.
Yesterday the President named as his choice John Negroponte the person to be the country's first ever director of national intelligence. If convicted by the Senate, Mr. Negroponte, who is the current U.S. ambassador to Iraq, will be in charge of coordinating the nation's 15 intelligence agencies, as well as controlling their combined budgets.
Well, today, though, President Bush focusing his attention not on intelligence, but on another issue, one that he has pushed for on the road. That is curbing lawsuits
Now, earlier this year, as part of that effort, the President focused the spotlight on Madison County, Illinois, which White House officials say draws a disproportionate amount of class action lawsuits without a state defendants. This morning a legislative victory for the President. He will sign into law the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 which passed in the House yesterday. The measure is designed to shift class action suits from state courts to federal courts which is less likely to allow those days to go forward.
Now, opponents says it puts corporate concerns over citizens' rights. But supporters argue the legislation is needed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R-WI), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: We have to restore some sanity to the civil justice system by dealing with the abuses that a small group of lawyers have turned the class action system into. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: Republicans are seeking yet another way to protect irresponsible corporations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, as for the president's trip to Europe, he will be meeting with leaders if a host of countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Britain -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano at the White House for us this morning. Elaine, thank you -- Bill.
O'BRIEN: Well, the nomination of John Negroponte as the director of national intelligence surprised a few people in Washington. They cite his lack of experience in the intelligence field.
Senator Joe Lieberman helped write the legislation that created that position. And as part of our CNN continuing "Security Watch" this morning, Senator Lieberman is my guest now down on Capitol Hill.
Good morning. Welcome back here. Always good to see you.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Well, thanks, Bill. Good to be with you.
HEMMER: This is what you said about this position: "I always expected the person who became the DNI would be more of a national security expert and a leader that would bring together the various experts on intelligence in the community." A national security expert.
Are you pleased or underwhelmed with this pick?
LIEBERMAN: Well this was -- right. This was a surprising choice in John Negroponte. But I think there's a lot of strength to it. And look, he's had a great experience in diplomacy and national security.
He obviously hasn't had experience with the collection and analysis of intelligence. He's been a consumer of it. But in General Mike Hayden, he's got one of the great professionals in the intelligence world on our side.
So I think they make a good team. And let's remember why we created this position.
We decided that the American intelligence community was like a football team with a lot of great players but no quarterback. And as a result, we weren't getting our money's worth from the billions of dollars we were investing in intelligence. I think John Negroponte and Mike Hayden together are prepared to be really strong quarterbacks for this intelligence team of ours.
HEMMER: Mike Hayden would his right-hand man essentially.
LIEBERMAN: Right.
HEMMER: One thing we consistently hear, Senator, from everyone is how tough this job will be. If that's the case, what are the expectations for what he will do?
LIEBERMAN: Well, the expectations are high because the responsibilities and the threat level is high. Intelligence really has to be at the heart of our own war against terrorism because we're dealing with an enemy that's prepared to kill itself. So the way to stop them is to know what they're planning before they carry it out. But this bill that we passed into law gives John Negroponte a lot of power.
He's going to face some bureaucracies that may not like that power. And the critical question will be, will President Bush stand with John Negroponte when he gets into his first conflicts with heads of agencies under him?
I think yesterday the President gave Negroponte and the rest of us every reason to believe that he's going to back John up fully. And that will be in the national interest.
HEMMER: There is -- you haven't mentioned this yet. Let me try to draw it out of you.
LIEBERMAN: OK.
HEMMER: There's a group of 9/11 families who apparently are not pleased because of a lack of intelligence background. Do you share that concern, or do you believe Mike Hayden makes up for that?
LIEBERMAN: I think Mike Hayden makes up for that. And I think John Negroponte is a very smart man, knows how to work in situations like this, where he's got to balance or bring a lot of people together. I understand the concern of some of those 9/11 families.
Frankly, they were critical of now Secretary of State Rice because she didn't grab hold of the intelligence more quickly in the first months of the Bush administration in '01. I think this is a different situation.
I'll say one other thing as President Bush heads off to Europe. I was in Europe last week for a conference with John McCain and others. And we found that our European allies are still skeptical of American intelligence based on their experience about WMD, weapons of mass destruction, prior to the war in Iraq.
John Negroponte is greatly respected throughout the world. And I think he now gives us an opportunity to regain our trust in American intelligence not only here at home but around the world. And that will be important to our leadership and to world security.
HEMMER: That's an interesting point you make. The President leaves on Sunday, Belgium, Germany and the Slovak Republic. Thank you, Senator. Joe Lieberman down there on Capitol Hill.
LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Bill. Have a good day.
HEMMER: You the same.
Be sure to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: President Bush says he is reserving judgment on whether Syria was behind Monday's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But in Europe next week, the president is expected to seek support for his demand that Syria pull its troops out of Lebanon. The question now, could military strikes be among U.S. options for dealing with Damascus?
Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon for us this morning.
Good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, you know, when it comes to today's hotspots, North Korea, Iran and Syria, you hear two words around the Pentagon, "routine planning," nothing more. But in the case of Syria, what if it did come to military action?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WILL & GRACE)
STARR (voice-over): Many in Lebanon believe Syria was behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The U.S. wants Syria to remove its troops from Lebanon, cut its ties to Hezbollah, and stop providing shelter for Iraqi insurgents.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've recalled our ambassador, which indicates that the relationship is not moving forward, that Syria's out of step with the progress being made in the greater Middle East.
STARR: If diplomacy fails, Pentagon planners could be asked for options, a list of targets, especially if Syria were found to be behind the assassination.
THEORDORE KATTOUF, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SYRIA: I don't think you could say a military -- a limited military strike was off the table if this was incontrovertible evidence, as you say, that Syria was responsible.
STARR: The military will not wait for President Bush to ask. It's already doing routine planning.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Sometimes that process speeds up if certain current events happen and drive the process to, hey, are you ready for this in case it happens? And so I suspect that's exactly what's happening in Syria. STARR: If the mission is to control the border with Iraq, U.S. troops could conduct border raids, so-called hot pursuit into Syria against insurgents seeking refuge there. If the order is for a limited strike, the initial targets could include suspected chemical weapons sites. Air defenses and missile installations, all could be struck to keep retaliation in check. But to attack Syria's longtime support for the military arm of Hezbollah, some experts believe the most likely targets would be in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
GRANGE: Because the headquarters, the main planning group for immediate action, assassinations, suicide bombers, other type of terrorist attacks actually come out of the Bekaa Valley.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And Soledad, that remains one of the top concerns. If there was to be some strike against Syrian targets, would the response be from the Hezbollah terrorist group, especially against U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, a huge question. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning. Barbara, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thirteen minutes past the hour now.
What are you doing this weekend? How about a snow angel? Like 15,000 of them. Back to Rob.
What's happening? What's the answer on that big trivia question from 30 minutes ago?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh. Yes, last half-hour I pointed out that there's a "Guinness Book of World Records" 15,000 snow angels. It is at one time. So over 15,000 people going at it, doing the whole snow angel thing.
They did it last year in London, Ontario. They're going to try to break that record this year at North Syracuse Junior High School.
Good luck with that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: It's a beautiful day already today, Rob. Chilly, but beautiful. Thank you.
One couple thought it would be nice to improve their looks with a bit of botox. Instead, they were poisoned, they say. The husband shares his story in a moment with us.
O'BRIEN: Also, a massive recall involving a popular video game system. There's a potentially dangerous glitch. We'll explain.
HEMMER: An American soldier turned guardian angel. One man taking an Iraqi orphan into his heart, and now into his home.
Those stories when we continue on a Friday morning here live in New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Eric Kaplan and his wife Bonnie thought they would improve their looks for the holidays by getting some botox injections, but something went wrong, very wrong. And after months of rehabilitation, Eric Kaplan is now taking legal action. He joins us this morning from Atlanta with his attorney, Stuart Grossman.
Nice to see you both. Thank you very much for being with us.
Eric, let's begin with you, if I may. For the holidays, you said, you now what, if the wife was going to go in, you might as well go in and get a little botox to your face as well. How soon after those shots did you both realize that something was actually wrong?
ERIC KAPLAN, SUFFERED BOTULISM POISONING: We started feeling uncomfortable that afternoon, but Thanksgiving day it really hit us hard. And by the day after Thanksgiving, we knew we were in trouble.
O'BRIEN: What did it feel like?
KAPLAN: Well, it started feeling like flu-like symptoms, which is what the doctor told us we may expect. And then as the day progressed, the symptoms got worse, till at one point my wife had pain in her chest and I had difficulty breathing.
O'BRIEN: You went to the hospital. What did you tell the doctors there that eventually had them link the shots that you had gotten to what you were experiencing?
KAPLAN: Well, we told the doctors that we went for botox injections. And when we got to the emergency room, they didn't know what to do. And at that time, we were in trouble. But they never heard of this before. They didn't know how to react or what to do.
O'BRIEN: How long in the end were you and your wife hospitalized?
KAPLAN: Approximately 12 weeks.
O'BRIEN: Twelve weeks.
KAPLAN: I was -- we were in intensive care for seven weeks, and then we went from the Palm Beach Gardens Hospital to the Shepherd Center in Georgia. And we spent six weeks there.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of -- I mean, I've got to tell you, for a guy who was in intensive care for weeks upon weeks, you look pretty good. Give me a sense of how bad it got.
KAPLAN: Well, your makeup people obviously did a good job. And it's work. Every day is work. I mean, what used to -- what we take for granted, from brushing our teeth to combing our hair, for me it's a process. For my wife, it's a bigger process.
O'BRIEN: Your wife had more difficulties. Describe.
KAPLAN: Without a doubt. Well, you know, I lost 23 pounds, my wife lost 23 pounds. And I weighed 173 to begin with.
But if you take 23 pounds of off a 117-pound woman, you know, now she's 95 pounds. And she's fighting hard. I mean, it's work. It's a lot of work for her. And it's tough. It's very tough.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk to your attorney, Mr. Grossman.
You say in the end it was determined that your clients, in fact, were not injected with botox, but with something else. What do you think they got?
STUART GROSSMAN, ERIC KAPLAN'S ATTORNEY: Well, there's no question they received botulism toxin a.
O'BRIEN: What's that?
GROSSMAN: Well, it's the deadliest substance known to man. And they received numerous injections of it, were rendered comatose, paralyzed, on ventilators, unable to move their lips, open their eyes voluntarily. And it's miraculous, but surely they're making a recovery.
We hope they come all the way back. We'll see.
O'BRIEN: You said the deadliest substance known to man. I'm not sure if you're speaking hyperbolically there, because, of course, they recovered and they did not die, thankfully, obviously.
Give me -- let me tell you a little bit about one of the labs, what they had to say. I know you're suing several groups here.
List Biological Labs, though, said this: "We at List Biological Laboratories want to express our deep concern that our research chemical was illegally injected in humans. All products labels and literature are clearly marked 'for research purposes only, not for human use.'"
Obviously this is something that's going to come up in your lawsuit. Give me a sense of what you would respond to that.
GROSSMAN: Well, first of all, it's the CDC that calls this the deadliest toxin known. List Biologicals is lying.
They provided this material, thousands of vials, to an Arizona company, which in turn sold it as fake botox because it was cheaper. They put it out there in commerce.
The substance that my clients received was raw, unadulterated, uncut stuff that this doctor who did act illegally tried to water down and dilute and give to them. But List was selling this to non- research entities, and they had to know that.
O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, sir, what would you like to have out of this lawsuit? What are you looking for financially and otherwise?
GROSSMAN: Well, my clients, of course, are entitled to full compensation. Their lives are not what they were.
Bonnie is a high school -- private school principal. Eric had an active medical practice. Those practices and their occupations right now are gone.
O'BRIEN: Which translates into what, financially?
GROSSMAN: Well, I think that this is an enormous case. Most people would agree that if you alter someone's life like this, it is going to have tremendous dollar value. But I can't put a number on it at this time, Soledad.
Time will tell. Let's see how well they do.
O'BRIEN: Stuart Grossman joining us, also Eric Kaplan, who was poisoned by botulism.
Thanks, gentlemen. Appreciate your time this morning.
GROSSMAN: Thank you for having us.
O'BRIEN: Our pleasure.
HEMMER: A break here in a moment.
Forget about baseball. There could be a new national pastime in town. And a very lucrative one at that. The ever-changing image of the NASCAR nation still to come this hour.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Stepping on the scale. Back over to Jack for that.
CAFFERTY: Yes, down at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Lose weight, lose your job.
The "Borgata Babes," they are called, 210 cocktail waitresses billed as the sexiest cocktail crew in Atlantic City. Probably are.
Borgata imposed the weight restrictions on them after seeing some of them beginning to ooze out of those skimpy uniforms a tad. Now all the waitresses have to step on the scale if they want to keep their jobs. If they don't lose weight, they could be fired.
Women's rights advocates, cocktail servers union down there are furious. The casino says that the sexy staff is a part of their image, part of their marketing.
The question is, should employees be fired for gaining weight?
The answer, from Dean in New Jersey, "Yes. If a fashion model can be fired or passed over for a show because she's overweight, then so can a cocktail waitress. When your image is an integral part of your job assignment, then your employer has the right to expect you to maintain that image. Besides, nobody likes fat cocktail waitresses."
James in Munday, Texas, "In most cases I would say no, but in the case of Ted Kennedy, the answer is a resounding yes."
Glad in North Carolina writes: "I've long believed the practice of putting women in skimpy costumes to entice men to spend money is completely foolish and degrading to women. I strongly disagree with companies becoming more and more involved in the personal lives of their employees."
And Jim in New York writes: "Unlike Soledad, who was obviously hired for both intellect and beauty..."
O'BRIEN: God bless you, Jim.
CAFFERTY: ... "the Borgata Babes are employed for only one reason. They are supposed to turn on male customers. You can't do this if you look like a blimp. They knew this when they took the job."
O'BRIEN: I take that back, Jim.
(LAUGHTER)
HEMMER: Signed Jim O'Brien.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: So that's that deal.
O'BRIEN: They looked pretty hot, those little outfits. I'll tell you that.
CAFFERTY: Not bad, right?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Maybe -- you've been down there, right? It's...
HEMMER: The joint is packed every single day.
CAFFERTY: Yes? Well, so they're doing something right.
HEMMER: Well, if you think about it, the casinos in Atlantic City for the past 10, 15, 20 years, they went down, down, down, down, down. Borgata comes in there and the place looks like Vegas again. Maybe it's just that joint.
CAFFERTY: Maybe it's the waitresses.
O'BRIEN: Huh, sex sells, huh? Shocking. Who would have thought. That's amazing.
Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: You're welcome, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Much more AMERICAN MORNING right after this short break.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ahead on "90-Second Pop," George Michael sets the record straight before he calls it quits. What does he mean when he says he's going to disappear?
Plus...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, SINGING: I'm so exciting and I just can't hide it. Woo!
O'BRIEN: "American Idol" is as successful as ever. But what's this we hear about friction between the judges? That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired February 18, 2005 - 08:59 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: One after the other, mosques in Baghdad hit by insurgents. A deadly wave of attacks today.
Difficult decisions to be made about Syria and its influence in Lebanon. Is the U.S. already drawing up its military options?
And love at first site.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hey, who couldn't -- who couldn't be in love with this kid?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
O'BRIEN: The Army captain who went to Iraq and met a boy who would change his life.
Plus, the need for speed. NASCAR getting cranked up again and racing into brand new territory on this AMERICAN MORNING.
ANNOUNCER: From the CNN Broadcast Center in New York, this is AMERICAN MORNING with Soledad O'Brien and Bill Hemmer.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everybody. 9:00 here in New York City.
The other big story this hour that we'll look at in a moment here, President Bush nominating John Negroponte to be the first director of national intelligence. Did he get the right person for this rather enormous job, and will Americans ultimately be any safer? A member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security, Joe Lieberman, my guest in a moment to talk about that.
O'BRIEN: Also this morning, we're going to talk about a man who, along with his wife, went in for botox treatments. What they got, though, was a straight botulism toxin.
It's an extremely deadly substance said to be 10,000 times as strong as botox. As you can imagine, they've had an incredibly long road to recovery now. We'll talk with them about what happened and what they're doing now.
HEMMER: All right. Back to Jack now.
Good morning. JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. They're billed as the "Borgata Babes," and they are marketed as the sexiest cocktail waitresses in Atlantic City. Now the casino that employees them says, if you gain 7 percent or more of your body weight, we will fire you because your job is to maintain that sexy image that we're trying to promote. Should employers be able to fire employees because of weight gain?
AM@CNN.com is the e-mail address. And we're going to look at that burned out car again just because I didn't get to see it last time.
HEMMER: Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: Sure.
HEMMER: First, the headlines. Here is Heidi Collins with us again.
Good morning.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, guys. And good morning to you once again, everybody.
"Now in the News" this morning, Baghdad under tight security after a series of attacks left at least 18 people dead. These pictures now showing the aftermath of the first explosion that took place near a Shiite mosque. U.S. military officials say it was the work of suicide bombers.
There was also a second suspected suicide bombing. And a third attack taking place in northwestern Baghdad. Mortar rounds were fired there. And these pictures just into CNN from the scene there. The violence comes during a major Shiite holy period.
Russian President Vladimir Putin says his country will continue nuclear cooperation with Iran. President Putin making the announcement just three hours ago following a meeting with Iran's security chief in Moscow. Putin says he is certain Iran is not trying to develop nuclear weapons and is planning a visit to Iran to speak with officials in person.
A woman accusing entertainer Bill Cosby of fondling her may press ahead with a civil case. That's according to her attorney.
Cosby will not face criminal charges over the claims after Philadelphia prosecutors said there wasn't enough evidence to base any charge against him. Cosby has maintained his innocence. His lawyer says Cosby's looking forward to moving on with his life.
A hockey brawl resulting in more legal action. Former Colorado Avalanche forward Steve Moore has filed a lawsuit against ex Canucks player Todd Bertuzzi. The action stems from an attack during a game last season.
The fight left Moore with a broken neck and other injuries. Now he's suing for conspiracy, assault and negligence. No word yet on how much Moore is asking. Bertuzzi has already pleaded guilty to criminal assault and was suspended indefinitely from the NHL.
More bad news for the NHL.
HEMMER: That sport has had a lifetime of bad headlines, hasn't it, in one week alone?
COLLINS: It has. That's right.
HEMMER: Thank you, Heidi.
O'BRIEN: President Bush is getting ready now for a whirlwind series of summits next week with virtually every political player in Europe. CNN's Elaine Quijano is live at the White House with more on the president's itinerary.
Hey, Elaine. Good morning.
ELAINE QUIJANO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning to you, Soledad.
President Bush is getting ready to head to Europe to meet with allies there to try to begin a new chapter in relations. Now, he leaves very mindful that there are still lingering sore feelings over the U.S.' decision to invade Iraq. Also concerns over the faulty intelligence that said that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Well, now President Bush will be able to tell European leaders that he's making changes to the U.S. intelligence community.
Yesterday the President named as his choice John Negroponte the person to be the country's first ever director of national intelligence. If convicted by the Senate, Mr. Negroponte, who is the current U.S. ambassador to Iraq, will be in charge of coordinating the nation's 15 intelligence agencies, as well as controlling their combined budgets.
Well, today, though, President Bush focusing his attention not on intelligence, but on another issue, one that he has pushed for on the road. That is curbing lawsuits
Now, earlier this year, as part of that effort, the President focused the spotlight on Madison County, Illinois, which White House officials say draws a disproportionate amount of class action lawsuits without a state defendants. This morning a legislative victory for the President. He will sign into law the Class Action Fairness Act of 2005 which passed in the House yesterday. The measure is designed to shift class action suits from state courts to federal courts which is less likely to allow those days to go forward.
Now, opponents says it puts corporate concerns over citizens' rights. But supporters argue the legislation is needed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. JAMES SENSENBRENNER (R-WI), JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: We have to restore some sanity to the civil justice system by dealing with the abuses that a small group of lawyers have turned the class action system into. (END VIDEO CLIP)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
REP. NANCY PELOSI (D-CA), MINORITY LEADER: Republicans are seeking yet another way to protect irresponsible corporations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUIJANO: Now, as for the president's trip to Europe, he will be meeting with leaders if a host of countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Britain -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Elaine Quijano at the White House for us this morning. Elaine, thank you -- Bill.
O'BRIEN: Well, the nomination of John Negroponte as the director of national intelligence surprised a few people in Washington. They cite his lack of experience in the intelligence field.
Senator Joe Lieberman helped write the legislation that created that position. And as part of our CNN continuing "Security Watch" this morning, Senator Lieberman is my guest now down on Capitol Hill.
Good morning. Welcome back here. Always good to see you.
SEN. JOSEPH LIEBERMAN (D), CONNECTICUT: Well, thanks, Bill. Good to be with you.
HEMMER: This is what you said about this position: "I always expected the person who became the DNI would be more of a national security expert and a leader that would bring together the various experts on intelligence in the community." A national security expert.
Are you pleased or underwhelmed with this pick?
LIEBERMAN: Well this was -- right. This was a surprising choice in John Negroponte. But I think there's a lot of strength to it. And look, he's had a great experience in diplomacy and national security.
He obviously hasn't had experience with the collection and analysis of intelligence. He's been a consumer of it. But in General Mike Hayden, he's got one of the great professionals in the intelligence world on our side.
So I think they make a good team. And let's remember why we created this position.
We decided that the American intelligence community was like a football team with a lot of great players but no quarterback. And as a result, we weren't getting our money's worth from the billions of dollars we were investing in intelligence. I think John Negroponte and Mike Hayden together are prepared to be really strong quarterbacks for this intelligence team of ours.
HEMMER: Mike Hayden would his right-hand man essentially.
LIEBERMAN: Right.
HEMMER: One thing we consistently hear, Senator, from everyone is how tough this job will be. If that's the case, what are the expectations for what he will do?
LIEBERMAN: Well, the expectations are high because the responsibilities and the threat level is high. Intelligence really has to be at the heart of our own war against terrorism because we're dealing with an enemy that's prepared to kill itself. So the way to stop them is to know what they're planning before they carry it out. But this bill that we passed into law gives John Negroponte a lot of power.
He's going to face some bureaucracies that may not like that power. And the critical question will be, will President Bush stand with John Negroponte when he gets into his first conflicts with heads of agencies under him?
I think yesterday the President gave Negroponte and the rest of us every reason to believe that he's going to back John up fully. And that will be in the national interest.
HEMMER: There is -- you haven't mentioned this yet. Let me try to draw it out of you.
LIEBERMAN: OK.
HEMMER: There's a group of 9/11 families who apparently are not pleased because of a lack of intelligence background. Do you share that concern, or do you believe Mike Hayden makes up for that?
LIEBERMAN: I think Mike Hayden makes up for that. And I think John Negroponte is a very smart man, knows how to work in situations like this, where he's got to balance or bring a lot of people together. I understand the concern of some of those 9/11 families.
Frankly, they were critical of now Secretary of State Rice because she didn't grab hold of the intelligence more quickly in the first months of the Bush administration in '01. I think this is a different situation.
I'll say one other thing as President Bush heads off to Europe. I was in Europe last week for a conference with John McCain and others. And we found that our European allies are still skeptical of American intelligence based on their experience about WMD, weapons of mass destruction, prior to the war in Iraq.
John Negroponte is greatly respected throughout the world. And I think he now gives us an opportunity to regain our trust in American intelligence not only here at home but around the world. And that will be important to our leadership and to world security.
HEMMER: That's an interesting point you make. The President leaves on Sunday, Belgium, Germany and the Slovak Republic. Thank you, Senator. Joe Lieberman down there on Capitol Hill.
LIEBERMAN: Thanks, Bill. Have a good day.
HEMMER: You the same.
Be sure to stay with CNN day and night for the most reliable news about your security -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: President Bush says he is reserving judgment on whether Syria was behind Monday's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. But in Europe next week, the president is expected to seek support for his demand that Syria pull its troops out of Lebanon. The question now, could military strikes be among U.S. options for dealing with Damascus?
Barbara Starr live at the Pentagon for us this morning.
Good morning.
BARBARA STARR, CNN PENTAGON CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Soledad.
Well, you know, when it comes to today's hotspots, North Korea, Iran and Syria, you hear two words around the Pentagon, "routine planning," nothing more. But in the case of Syria, what if it did come to military action?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP, "WILL & GRACE)
STARR (voice-over): Many in Lebanon believe Syria was behind the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The U.S. wants Syria to remove its troops from Lebanon, cut its ties to Hezbollah, and stop providing shelter for Iraqi insurgents.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We've recalled our ambassador, which indicates that the relationship is not moving forward, that Syria's out of step with the progress being made in the greater Middle East.
STARR: If diplomacy fails, Pentagon planners could be asked for options, a list of targets, especially if Syria were found to be behind the assassination.
THEORDORE KATTOUF, FMR. U.S. AMBASSADOR TO SYRIA: I don't think you could say a military -- a limited military strike was off the table if this was incontrovertible evidence, as you say, that Syria was responsible.
STARR: The military will not wait for President Bush to ask. It's already doing routine planning.
BRIG. GEN. DAVID GRANGE, CNN MILITARY ANALYST: Sometimes that process speeds up if certain current events happen and drive the process to, hey, are you ready for this in case it happens? And so I suspect that's exactly what's happening in Syria. STARR: If the mission is to control the border with Iraq, U.S. troops could conduct border raids, so-called hot pursuit into Syria against insurgents seeking refuge there. If the order is for a limited strike, the initial targets could include suspected chemical weapons sites. Air defenses and missile installations, all could be struck to keep retaliation in check. But to attack Syria's longtime support for the military arm of Hezbollah, some experts believe the most likely targets would be in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.
GRANGE: Because the headquarters, the main planning group for immediate action, assassinations, suicide bombers, other type of terrorist attacks actually come out of the Bekaa Valley.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
STARR: And Soledad, that remains one of the top concerns. If there was to be some strike against Syrian targets, would the response be from the Hezbollah terrorist group, especially against U.S. troops in Iraq and Kuwait -- Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Yes, a huge question. Barbara Starr at the Pentagon for us this morning. Barbara, thanks -- Bill.
HEMMER: Thirteen minutes past the hour now.
What are you doing this weekend? How about a snow angel? Like 15,000 of them. Back to Rob.
What's happening? What's the answer on that big trivia question from 30 minutes ago?
ROB MARCIANO, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Oh. Yes, last half-hour I pointed out that there's a "Guinness Book of World Records" 15,000 snow angels. It is at one time. So over 15,000 people going at it, doing the whole snow angel thing.
They did it last year in London, Ontario. They're going to try to break that record this year at North Syracuse Junior High School.
Good luck with that.
(WEATHER REPORT)
HEMMER: It's a beautiful day already today, Rob. Chilly, but beautiful. Thank you.
One couple thought it would be nice to improve their looks with a bit of botox. Instead, they were poisoned, they say. The husband shares his story in a moment with us.
O'BRIEN: Also, a massive recall involving a popular video game system. There's a potentially dangerous glitch. We'll explain.
HEMMER: An American soldier turned guardian angel. One man taking an Iraqi orphan into his heart, and now into his home.
Those stories when we continue on a Friday morning here live in New York.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
O'BRIEN: Eric Kaplan and his wife Bonnie thought they would improve their looks for the holidays by getting some botox injections, but something went wrong, very wrong. And after months of rehabilitation, Eric Kaplan is now taking legal action. He joins us this morning from Atlanta with his attorney, Stuart Grossman.
Nice to see you both. Thank you very much for being with us.
Eric, let's begin with you, if I may. For the holidays, you said, you now what, if the wife was going to go in, you might as well go in and get a little botox to your face as well. How soon after those shots did you both realize that something was actually wrong?
ERIC KAPLAN, SUFFERED BOTULISM POISONING: We started feeling uncomfortable that afternoon, but Thanksgiving day it really hit us hard. And by the day after Thanksgiving, we knew we were in trouble.
O'BRIEN: What did it feel like?
KAPLAN: Well, it started feeling like flu-like symptoms, which is what the doctor told us we may expect. And then as the day progressed, the symptoms got worse, till at one point my wife had pain in her chest and I had difficulty breathing.
O'BRIEN: You went to the hospital. What did you tell the doctors there that eventually had them link the shots that you had gotten to what you were experiencing?
KAPLAN: Well, we told the doctors that we went for botox injections. And when we got to the emergency room, they didn't know what to do. And at that time, we were in trouble. But they never heard of this before. They didn't know how to react or what to do.
O'BRIEN: How long in the end were you and your wife hospitalized?
KAPLAN: Approximately 12 weeks.
O'BRIEN: Twelve weeks.
KAPLAN: I was -- we were in intensive care for seven weeks, and then we went from the Palm Beach Gardens Hospital to the Shepherd Center in Georgia. And we spent six weeks there.
O'BRIEN: Give me a sense of -- I mean, I've got to tell you, for a guy who was in intensive care for weeks upon weeks, you look pretty good. Give me a sense of how bad it got.
KAPLAN: Well, your makeup people obviously did a good job. And it's work. Every day is work. I mean, what used to -- what we take for granted, from brushing our teeth to combing our hair, for me it's a process. For my wife, it's a bigger process.
O'BRIEN: Your wife had more difficulties. Describe.
KAPLAN: Without a doubt. Well, you know, I lost 23 pounds, my wife lost 23 pounds. And I weighed 173 to begin with.
But if you take 23 pounds of off a 117-pound woman, you know, now she's 95 pounds. And she's fighting hard. I mean, it's work. It's a lot of work for her. And it's tough. It's very tough.
O'BRIEN: Let's talk to your attorney, Mr. Grossman.
You say in the end it was determined that your clients, in fact, were not injected with botox, but with something else. What do you think they got?
STUART GROSSMAN, ERIC KAPLAN'S ATTORNEY: Well, there's no question they received botulism toxin a.
O'BRIEN: What's that?
GROSSMAN: Well, it's the deadliest substance known to man. And they received numerous injections of it, were rendered comatose, paralyzed, on ventilators, unable to move their lips, open their eyes voluntarily. And it's miraculous, but surely they're making a recovery.
We hope they come all the way back. We'll see.
O'BRIEN: You said the deadliest substance known to man. I'm not sure if you're speaking hyperbolically there, because, of course, they recovered and they did not die, thankfully, obviously.
Give me -- let me tell you a little bit about one of the labs, what they had to say. I know you're suing several groups here.
List Biological Labs, though, said this: "We at List Biological Laboratories want to express our deep concern that our research chemical was illegally injected in humans. All products labels and literature are clearly marked 'for research purposes only, not for human use.'"
Obviously this is something that's going to come up in your lawsuit. Give me a sense of what you would respond to that.
GROSSMAN: Well, first of all, it's the CDC that calls this the deadliest toxin known. List Biologicals is lying.
They provided this material, thousands of vials, to an Arizona company, which in turn sold it as fake botox because it was cheaper. They put it out there in commerce.
The substance that my clients received was raw, unadulterated, uncut stuff that this doctor who did act illegally tried to water down and dilute and give to them. But List was selling this to non- research entities, and they had to know that.
O'BRIEN: At the end of the day, sir, what would you like to have out of this lawsuit? What are you looking for financially and otherwise?
GROSSMAN: Well, my clients, of course, are entitled to full compensation. Their lives are not what they were.
Bonnie is a high school -- private school principal. Eric had an active medical practice. Those practices and their occupations right now are gone.
O'BRIEN: Which translates into what, financially?
GROSSMAN: Well, I think that this is an enormous case. Most people would agree that if you alter someone's life like this, it is going to have tremendous dollar value. But I can't put a number on it at this time, Soledad.
Time will tell. Let's see how well they do.
O'BRIEN: Stuart Grossman joining us, also Eric Kaplan, who was poisoned by botulism.
Thanks, gentlemen. Appreciate your time this morning.
GROSSMAN: Thank you for having us.
O'BRIEN: Our pleasure.
HEMMER: A break here in a moment.
Forget about baseball. There could be a new national pastime in town. And a very lucrative one at that. The ever-changing image of the NASCAR nation still to come this hour.
Back in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HEMMER: Stepping on the scale. Back over to Jack for that.
CAFFERTY: Yes, down at the Borgata in Atlantic City. Lose weight, lose your job.
The "Borgata Babes," they are called, 210 cocktail waitresses billed as the sexiest cocktail crew in Atlantic City. Probably are.
Borgata imposed the weight restrictions on them after seeing some of them beginning to ooze out of those skimpy uniforms a tad. Now all the waitresses have to step on the scale if they want to keep their jobs. If they don't lose weight, they could be fired.
Women's rights advocates, cocktail servers union down there are furious. The casino says that the sexy staff is a part of their image, part of their marketing.
The question is, should employees be fired for gaining weight?
The answer, from Dean in New Jersey, "Yes. If a fashion model can be fired or passed over for a show because she's overweight, then so can a cocktail waitress. When your image is an integral part of your job assignment, then your employer has the right to expect you to maintain that image. Besides, nobody likes fat cocktail waitresses."
James in Munday, Texas, "In most cases I would say no, but in the case of Ted Kennedy, the answer is a resounding yes."
Glad in North Carolina writes: "I've long believed the practice of putting women in skimpy costumes to entice men to spend money is completely foolish and degrading to women. I strongly disagree with companies becoming more and more involved in the personal lives of their employees."
And Jim in New York writes: "Unlike Soledad, who was obviously hired for both intellect and beauty..."
O'BRIEN: God bless you, Jim.
CAFFERTY: ... "the Borgata Babes are employed for only one reason. They are supposed to turn on male customers. You can't do this if you look like a blimp. They knew this when they took the job."
O'BRIEN: I take that back, Jim.
(LAUGHTER)
HEMMER: Signed Jim O'Brien.
CAFFERTY: Yes.
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: So that's that deal.
O'BRIEN: They looked pretty hot, those little outfits. I'll tell you that.
CAFFERTY: Not bad, right?
O'BRIEN: Yes.
CAFFERTY: Maybe -- you've been down there, right? It's...
HEMMER: The joint is packed every single day.
CAFFERTY: Yes? Well, so they're doing something right.
HEMMER: Well, if you think about it, the casinos in Atlantic City for the past 10, 15, 20 years, they went down, down, down, down, down. Borgata comes in there and the place looks like Vegas again. Maybe it's just that joint.
CAFFERTY: Maybe it's the waitresses.
O'BRIEN: Huh, sex sells, huh? Shocking. Who would have thought. That's amazing.
Thank you, Jack.
CAFFERTY: You're welcome, Soledad.
O'BRIEN: Much more AMERICAN MORNING right after this short break.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
O'BRIEN (voice-over): Ahead on "90-Second Pop," George Michael sets the record straight before he calls it quits. What does he mean when he says he's going to disappear?
Plus...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE, SINGING: I'm so exciting and I just can't hide it. Woo!
O'BRIEN: "American Idol" is as successful as ever. But what's this we hear about friction between the judges? That's coming up on AMERICAN MORNING.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
